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Sunday, August 22, 2010

I am craving an exotic dish, but after shelling money for rent, utilities, and student loans…there’s not a lot of cash left for fancy ingredients. Outside, the weather is damp and rainy. I am not inspired to take on the elements for the sake of a meal. It is my pantry to the rescue!

I start by heating up a pot full of water. After the water has reached a boiling point, next I carefully pour in the cup of brown rice. As the brown rice simmers on the stovetop, I rinse the yellow onion and mushrooms. After the yellow onion and mushrooms are chopped, I heat up a medium sized pan of extra virgin olive oil.

Next, I gently place the shrimp into the pan , letting them simmer on a low flame for a few minutes. Then, I add in the yellow onion, mushrooms, green olives. Around this time, I check on the brown rice. After the brown rice is ready, I turn off the stove burner and drain the rice into a colander over the kitchen sink.

I place 2 cups of chicken broth into the pot. Next, I heat up the chicken broth for a few minutes and then add the brown rice into the pot. My kitchen is filled with the gentle aroma of shrimp and yellow onions. My mouth is watering and I am tempted to devour the shrimp and veggies sans the brown rice. Fortunately, the brown rice and broth are finished. I remove the heat from the pan of shrimp and veggies. I spoon the shrimp and veggies into the pot of brown rice. I turn the stove burner down and zest the lemon into the pot.

I slowly stir the contents around in the pot. Then, I add a few dashes of cracked black pepper into the pot.
Ten minutes later, I am enjoying a steaming bowl of low-impact paella.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Sometimes, my inner foodie cries out for me to create more complex recipes. She urges me to buy expensive and exotic ingredients...which I will most likely fritter away through the tedious process of trial and error.

In addition, she yearns to enroll into pricey cooking classes, which I will most likely not apply to my everyday life.

In the past, I have attempted to satisfy her outrageous demands by reading numerous books and articles about cooking.

I have spent many Saturday mornings watching countless hours of television cooking shows.

Yet, still she refuses to be sated with my efforts.

No, my inner foodie wishes to be where the action is and she is not gonna take “No” for an answer.

This has prompted me to dip my toe into the waters of food writing and the creation of recipes.

I am hopeful that these endeavors will quiet her down… at least for a little while.